I say what I do and I do what I say
A short line, easy to put on a wall. Considerably harder to hold to.
It is the kind of line you find on a lot of websites, usually without consequence. A motto that commits to nothing is decoration.
So it is worth writing down what it actually means, so that people can hold me to it.
What it means in practice
I say when I am not the right person
I turn down engagements, or refer part of them to someone better placed. An engagement accepted out of commercial comfort always shows in the end.
An estimate is a commitment
If I get it wrong, the gap is mine, not the client’s. It is the only way to make an estimate useful rather than decorative.
I say what is not working, even when it is unwelcome
Someone who no longer dares tell a leader their idea does not hold up is of no further use to them. Agreeableness is a slow form of dishonesty.
Nothing active without written authorisation
In offensive security this is absolute. No test, no manipulation, no active check without a defined scope and a signed agreement.
I name my mistakes
Forty years includes decisions I would not repeat. I talk about them willingly: they teach more than the wins.
What is promised gets delivered
Including the small things. A callback promised for Thursday happens on Thursday. That is where trust is built, not in the big moments.
Trust takes years to build and one lapse to lose. That is the only reason this motto is worth holding to.
A question on this?
Describe the context in a few lines. I answer with a proposed angle, not a brochure.